Attard () is a town in the Northern Region of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. Together with

Balzan Balzan () is a municipality in the Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region of Malta, and together with Attard and Lija, forms part of the "Three villages of Malta, Three Villages" (). The village originally consisted of a group of small dwellin ...

and

Lija Lija () is a small village in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. Together with Attard and Balzan, it forms part of Malta's "Three villages of Malta, Three Villages" (). Lija has a baroque parish church and seven other small cha ...

, it forms part of the "

Three Villages The Three Villages () refers to the Malta, Maltese villages of Attard, Balzan, and Lija located around the centre of the island. The Three Villages are known as such because of their close proximity to one another. In some cases, one side of a str ...

" () and has been inhabited since the Classical Period. It has a population of 12,268 as of 2021. Attard's traditional

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

motto is ''Florigera rosis halo'' ("I perfume the air with my blossoms") due to its many

flower garden A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and w ...

s and citrus orchards. Attard is abundant in public gardens. The inhabitants of Attard are known as ''saraċini''.

Etymology

The name of 'Attard' is thought to have been derived from a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

assumed to belong to the first person who lived there. It is unclear what the word 'Attard' means. Some say it means blossoms as the word 'Attar' means fresh oil of the flowers or from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

'Atr', meaning perfume. Another derivation for the surname is the Italian town of "Atti" in Bologna. A few maps from the 1600s also show Attard listed as 'C. Attardo', which might show where the village name derives from.

Municipality

As a municipality with its own local government structure since 1994, Attard covers a surface area of about seven square kilometers. Its population, including the modern estate of

Misraħ Kola Misraħ Kola, (''the Square of Nicholas'') is an Estate in the locality of Attard, Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It ...

and surrounding environs, is around 10,000. It comprises to its North, facing the city of

Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...

, the flat expanse called

Ta' Qali Ta' Qali is a wide open space in the limits of Attard and Mosta in central and northern Malta respectively, which contains National Stadium, Ta' Qali, the national football stadium, the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Ta' Qali National Park, a ...

. Beneath it the area known as ''Tal-Idward'' joins with Misraħ Kola, across from Wied San Martin (''St Martin's Valley''), Wied Inċita (''Valley of Instigation'') and Wied Irmiedi (''Valley of Ashes''), on the

Żebbuġ Żebbuġ ( ), also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Western Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021. History and origins The parish church is dedicated to P ...

side. Its western front is bordered by Wied is-Sewda (''Black Valley''), on the

Qormi Qormi (, , ), also known by its title Città Pinto, is a city in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, southwest of Valletta in the centre of the island. It has a population of 16,324 (as of March 2018), making it Malta's fifth-la ...

side. To its east, up to Tal-Mirakli (''of the Miracles'') chapel on the

side, is a large zone called ''Ta' Fġieni'' bordering the village core and the 17th-century Parish Church of St. Mary at its centre, built by architect Tommaso Dingli. Dingli, born and bred in Attard, is best known for his work on the

Wignacourt Aqueduct The Wignacourt Aqueduct () is a 17th-century Aqueduct (water supply), aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat, Malta, Rabat to the newly built capital ci ...

, Porta Reale (the entrance into

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

) and several churches. Of these, only Attard's parish church (with its idiosyncratic façade) and the old parish church of Birkirkara remain unaltered. South of the village core is the Sant'Anton Quarter, named for San Anton Palace and the palace's botanic gardens, both built by the

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

between around 1600 and 1625. It is now the official residence of the president of Malta and has long been a symbol of Attard.

Zones in Attard

*Misraħ Kola *Hal-Warda *Ta' Qali **Robbu Tal-Ħemsija **Ta' Ħemsija **Ta' Qali ''Crafts Village'' **Ta' Sagħat **Ta' Vnezja **Tal-Madliena **Tal-Madonna **Tal-Maltija *Ta' Qassati *Il-Ħotob *Il-Ħofor *Santa Katerina *Ta' Fġieni *Ta' l-Idward *Ta' Srina *Ta' Vestru *Tal-Fuklar *Tal-Karri *Tal-Mirakli *Wied il-Ħemsija *Wied Inċita *Wied is-Sewda

Development

During the 1980s Attard experienced a boost in development, reflected in the large-scale construction surrounding the village center. However the area surrounding the church and the Sant'Anton Quarter features a number of converted farmhouses (recognizable through their wooden doors and flat, rustic roofs) and residences built by the Knights of St John, surrounding the summer palace. Attard is also the location of the St Catherine Nursing Home, one of the largest in the Maltese Islands. The Attard Primary School serves as a polling station during elections and like all other localities in Malta, Attard Local Council elections are held every three years. An increase in entertainment and commercial enterprise has seen development along ''Triq il-Pitkalija'' (Pitkalija Road) and near the village center, with various retail outlets catering to the village all within walking distance of St Mary's Parish Church. The village center is a hive of activity, especially on Sundays when residents of Attard mingle with fellow churchgoers. Attard celebrates the feast of the

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

on 15 August, which is a national holiday on the Maltese islands.

Clubs and societies

The Malta Amateur Radio League club house is situated in Attard and is the representative body for

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

. Since MARL was established in 1922, its aim was to bring together people interested in amateur radio/

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

and discuss and defend amateur radio matters with the local authorities. It provides educational facilities for members with interest in amateur radio/electronics and also an equipped amateur radio station. MARL corresponds and expresses its ideas with local and foreign same-interest groups, providing its members the facilities of a two-way QSL Bureau as well as financing and maintaining VHF &

Analog television Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, instantaneous phase and frequency, ...

repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Some ...

s and

beacons A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

. The musical society of La Stella Levantina (''Eastern Star'') is the first of its kind in the village (formed in 1894). It organizes the major activities of the village feast held during 11–15 August, including band marches and feast decorations. It teaches music (at no cost) in its local club, situated in the center of the village.

Notable residents

The president's official residence, San Anton Palace, is situated in Attard. Within walking distance of the president's residence is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Malta. The Tunisian embassy to Malta is located in Attard. Gerald Strickland was also a resident of Attard, at Villa Bologna. Attard is also home to Archbishop Paul Cremona and Tiffany Pisani, the winner of Britain's Next Top Model season 6.

San Anton Palace

Visitors to the palace have included the Grand Masters of the Order of St John, Queen

Marie of Romania Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last queen of Romania from 10 October 1914 to 20 July 1927 as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania, King Ferdinand I. Marie was born int ...

, the Russian Empress Marie Feodorovna, King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's younger brother

Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French c ...

as a prisoner, and the poet

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

. Governor Borton opened the botanic gardens to the public in 1882 for picnics and strolls. Fairs and competitions celebrating plants, flowers, animals and livestock take place there. A dramatic company used to put on a Shakespeare Festival every summer, and there are often music recitals. During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2005, hosted by Malta, the President's Palace in Attard served as a residence for Queen Elizabeth II and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

Sport

Attard is the home of Attard F.C., currently competing in Maltese Challenge League (second tier).

Twin towns – sister cities

Attard is twinned with: *

Élancourt Élancourt () is a communes of France, commune in the Yvelines departments of France, department, and the Île-de-France region, north central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, 30.6 km (19.0 mi) from the Kilometre Ze ...

, France * Pieve Emanuele, Italy

References

External links

Attard Local Council

Attard Parish
{{Authority control Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta